GETTING SOFT?

My wife and I were up North For a break. We stayed in an old cottage with the old wood burning fire. It was Marvellous sitting in the living room with the fire blazing,but the rooms, (Freezing). That was the only heating in the cottage and the weather was freezing outside.
This got me to thinking'what heating did we have years ago,before central Heating'?.
I remember our first family home,(when I was a lad)it had only one coal fire in the living room,no heating in 3 bedrooms,hall,kitchen,bathroom and the house was a steel built house!. I must be getting soft with all this central heating and double glazing.
What Heating System Did You Have before all the modern heating systems we have now.?..

 

We just had an open fire in the front room and one in the back room....like you say Music...those rooms were scorching but the rest of the house was freezing...i can remember the ice on the INSIDE of my bedroom window.....

 

Likewise in our farmers bungalow of just the four rooms: kitchen with black leaded range and 'front room' (not often used) with open fire and two cold bedrooms and a hallway. It used to be us three girls to one end of the double bed and brother John at the bottom end. To keep warm we used to throw all our winter coats on top of the bedclothes. Mind you we didn't have electric until I was 10 years old or running water until I was 8 years old..........outside Elsan toilet. no bathroom.......Dad built mother a shed for doing her washing in and I used to use that shed to heat her copper to have a bath out there rather than gather round the fire as we all used to do to have a bath......eh times have changed! So I guess some of us are not so soft as those that have come after us.

 

We had a gas fire in the lounge and a paraffin heater in the hall, that was it. Hot water was via a kettle. oh, there was a large "ascot" in the bathroom to fill the bath.

 

One open fire in the front room and paraffin heaters where required. I remember the pattern the grille on the top made on the ceiling. Beds warmed by a brick heated up in the oven and wrapped in a bit of old blanket. Cheers, Tony.

 

Luxury.

 

You had a house? Windows?

We couldn't afford that.

(Ziggy.....you beat me to it by seconds. )

 

I thought it was normal to sleep in the "hammock" (no disrespect Jack) made by the sheet being tucked under the matress, on account of yer brother pushing you there.

Tongue getting stuck to the frosty window in the bedroom, wakeing up with a chicken roosting on your face as it was the warmest place in the room. Hitting your trousers against the wall to get them supple enough to put on....

 

I'm going to get my violin out in a minute

 

When my dad used to tuck me in he used to stick his head under the blankets and blow hot air at me to warm me up...bless his heart....i was as warm as toast in no time...
He'd probably get locked up if it was these days

 

I remember all the above, one open grate fire and a tin bath in front of that every Sunday morning before Sunday school. Ice on the inside of windows and your breath on the air inside!

An outside loo that faced east, that was a bit like being super-glued to the seat during the winter months. It was emptied into a hole in the veg plot, great veg!!!

A geyser over the kitchen sink that used to scare the living daylights out of me when turned on and off.

We eventually progressed to a parrafin heater in the hallway too. Luxury!

 

Many a sheet of burning newspaper up the flu and your praying it doesn't cause a chimney fire!

 

I remember the beautiful crystal patterns the ice used to make on the windows. Natures wonderful.

 

The coal fire in the living room and the outside loo,and the joy of using it after someone else cause the seat would be warm!
Proper bedding with blankets in winter the grey itchy ones would come out with the eiderdown!
But I reckon we was healthier in them days the generation may not have had mod cons but a good varied diet and fresh air.
1 bath a week and we didn't used to smell whats that about now its a shower every morning and night and another as we get changed if we are going out anywhere and how did our parents get the washing dry ok there is a draught on be we struggle to use our line more than 50% of the year!